Six Ways To Improve Healthcare Management And Delivery

According to WHO, around 303,000 women die during pregnancy or childbirth globally every year. Similarly, there is a recorded stat of 2.6 million stillbirths. So, the only way to lower the number is by putting health and well-being at the center of public policy. The ill-health of individuals impacts the economic potential of a nation as well. For youngsters, it affects their capacity to earn human capital. However, adults face the challenge of lower labor market outcomes and poor quality of life. All of this creates an everlasting impact on everyone’s life in the long run. 

We all have experienced inflexible, impersonal, and poor healthcare quality at least once in our lifetime. At a systematic level, it adds up to the inefficiencies that can cost the lives of millions of people. Hence, relevant reforms should be made that are centered around an individual’s needs and sustainable over the period. Therefore, healthcare professionals must be qualified enough to address these issues with ease. And for that, masters degrees in healthcare are an essential qualification. These degrees help healthcare professionals improve management and leadership within the system, which eventually helps to improve patient outcomes. Moreover, these qualifications are suitable for working in non-clinical roles and streamlining processes from an administrative point of view. That said, listed below are some ways to improve healthcare management and delivery.

1. Data collection and patient analysis

If you are unable to measure it, you can certainly not manage it. The first step towards the improvement of healthcare quality is by detailed analysis of the organization. It will help if you conduct extensive research on the patients and your organization’s operational potential. Then you can use the acquired data to look for areas that need improvement and attention. The more detailed data you have, the more your organization has systemic advances; thus, patient-centered care is higher. So if you wish to improve the quality of healthcare, this is the way to initiate. You can use EHRs, outcome studies, and different surveys to monitor an individual’s overall health.

2. Focus on goals and ongoing evaluation

Once you have done a thorough analysis, now is the time to prioritize those areas of improvement and set goals. Suppose you need some help with the goal-setting process. In that case, you can contact several health organizations that have well-established and consistent quality. The next step is ongoing evaluation.  Improvement of healthcare quality is not a one-time process that you set and forget. For further acceleration of the improvement process, you can follow the PDSA (plan-do-study-act) cycle. In this cycle, you first plan a change, execute it, analyze the results, and act on what you have learned. This cycle is a powerful tool that has proven to improve the quality of service in healthcare facilities. 

3. Improve access to healthcare

The most crucial factor that needs utmost attention is access to healthcare services. For optimum results, patients must have access to good quality of care at the right time.  However, most people worldwide are not insured. Hence, they don’t opt for preventive care, which leads to severe health issues and higher costs. Improvement of access to care does not only mean more patients visit hospitals for regular checkups and screening tests. It also suggests how and where the patients can utilize healthcare. Hence, there is an increase in the trend of onsite clinics and robust workplace clinical programs. It has proven to increase access and thus improves the health of the public.

Accessibility to health care is one of the missions humanitarian Mr. Joshua Freed works on.

As the CEO of Equity Capital Inc., Joshua Freed has plenty of experience running large projects. He enjoys using that experience to philanthropical ends in Kenya, where he has assisted in building health centers as well as installing wells for villages without clean and accessible water sources. He has also helped build homes in the restoration efforts following a significant earthquake in the Philippines and has been a board member for Protect a Child Today and Vital Solutions. Mr. Freed is a member of the Rotary Club who enjoys fly fishing and drumming.

4. Prioritize patient engagement

Patients are the best advocates of their health, only if they engage and learn to be proactive about their health. Though it is not an easy job, it certainly needs to be considered by primary healthcare providers. Primary healthcare physicians can better follow the entire healthcare journey than professionals who work at hospitals or emergency care facilities. Or in other words, you can assume that primary healthcare physicians hold a stronger position and play an influential role in improving healthcare. Hence, for authentic patient engagement, healthcare providers should take a holistic approach. They should find effective ways to connect and communicate with them so that the patients prioritize their health. 

5. Collaboration with other organizations

Suppose a healthcare facility wants to improve its quality of service. In that case, it should readily research how other organizations within the country and even abroad are providing good quality care. Start by finding those areas in which they are flourishing, and you need improvement. Now one would ask how do you get to know about such organizations. So keep your ear on the ground, attend as many conferences as possible, or you can also do some online research as well. Often healthcare facilities are ready to share insights into how they improved the quality of care. Some are also ready to collaborate for joint efforts to take care of the patients. 

6. Strong team force

A strong health care provider team employs innovative practices that enhance the quality of care. Hence, the service delivery responsibility falls on the shoulders of the team members. Thus the team should consist of members that belong to different backgrounds, skills, and experiences. Together they form a strong, balanced team that accelerates the entire process. The team should also have a senior leader who guides, provides insights, and advocates the team. They also educate the employees about developing critical skills, developing a patient relationship, and communicating. 

Conclusion

Hence, healthcare facilities should have enough water, energy supply, sanitation, and a proper waste disposal system that is functional. The space should be well designed and organized. It should also respect the privacy of every patient. The healthcare facilities should have an adequate supply of medicines and equipment required to run the system for proper functioning. The physicians should also inform the patients about their treatment strategies to feel involved in the entire process. And this is only possible through strong communication between the care provider and receiver.